Microsoft Ships $399 Azure Kinect AI Camera to U.S. and China
Microsoft's Azure Kinect developer kit, a business-focused sensor packed with depth cameras and microphones, is now shipping to customers. The device serves as an AI gateway for industries like healthcare and robotics.
Microsoft officially ships its $399 Azure Kinect DK camera system to pre-order customers in the U.S. and China. The device features a 1MP depth camera, a 360-degree microphone array, a 12MP RGB camera, and an orientation sensor. Unlike the original Xbox gaming accessory, this updated sensor focuses entirely on enterprise and developer applications.
The core of the Azure Kinect shares its time-of-flight depth sensor technology with the second generation of the Microsoft HoloLens. Developers use the accompanying SDKs to experiment with AI tools and integrate the hardware with Azure's machine learning services, although connecting to Azure remains optional. A preview body-tracking SDK also brings back familiar motion-capture capabilities.
Microsoft positions the kit as an accessible entry point for businesses in health care, retail, logistics, and robotics to leverage depth sensing and AI. The sophisticated microphone array additionally enables developers to build advanced speech recognition solutions. While other companies offer similar AI dev kits, Microsoft sets this device apart by including the specialized depth camera that defines the Kinect experience.